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Once considered the “right” whale to kill, these marine mammals are gaining protection from an unlikely source: a free iPad app.

Whale Alert tells mariners if they’ve entered a seasonal or temporary management area to prevent ships from striking the animals. The app, which also works on the iPhone, shows a coastal map of Massachusetts and a blinking yellow circle where a whale has been sighted.

Right whales, which live along North America’s east coast from Nova Scotia to Florida, are the most endangered whale species with only about 400 left in the North Atlantic and 60 left in the North Pacific, according to the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

A female right whale and her calf. Photo courtesy of NOAA

Once popular among whalers for their high blubber content, they’ve been protected since 1931 but boat operators often don’t see the whales, which swim just below the surface.

The app works by relaying information from acoustic buoys in Boston Harbor. The buoys pick up whale noises then wirelessly send the information to NOAA headquarters in Maryland where the data is compared to overhead sightings from monitoring planes.

A lighthouse in Truro, Massachusetts receives the information from NOAA, sends it to Boston Harbor, and then boat operators receive the data through Whale Alert in nearly real time.

“Right whales face a daily threat but with this 21st century technology it’s possible to save them,” Ramage said.

The app was developed by a collaboration of government agencies, academic institutions, non-profit conservation groups and private sector industries.

Rick Nolan, the owner of Boston Harbor Cruises, which runs whale watching trips, had an iPad installed on one of his boats three weeks ago. “It’s terrific real time information relative to where the whales are in the area,” Nolan said. “What’s nice is that when captains are navigating they have more accurate information in any given minute or hour.”

Andy Hammond, the executive director of the Boston Harbor Pilot Association, a company that helps mariners navigate their way into port, was similarly enthusiastic about the app.